Course Technology Launches SAM Challenge, an Industry First In Computer Skills Assessment Software

Colleges implement SAM Challenge to evaluate skills through empirical evidence; Software ensures student competency levels in core computer concepts

Boston, MA – December 20, 2004 – Course Technology, the worldwide leader in computer education products and services and part of the Thomson Corporation (NYSE: TOC; TSX: TOC), today launched SAM Challenge, powerful new assessment software that allows students to demonstrate their mastery of computers via software simulations and traditional test questions. SAM Challenge allows instructors to create and administer a secure, one-time exam to gauge student proficiency and knowledge of numerous computer concepts.

“The assessments in SAM Challenge are unique in the marketplace because they use robust simulations of actual applications,” said Dave West, president of Thomson Course Technology. “When paired with the standard, objective questions, these simulations or demonstrations provide an accurate assessment of whether a student knows how to perform a computer skill.”

The new software meets a growing need in colleges and universities, where computer literacy is considered fundamental to success and yet schools are discovering widening gaps in computer proficiency among students. In fact, contrary to the popular notion that the vast majority of college-bound students are digital mavericks, schools are finding that some incoming students have had little hands-on experience with computers.

SAM Challenge is designed to benefit both the proctor and the test-taker. The software gives proctors and test administrators the ability to customize tests according to a school’s core competency requirements. The test can be tailored to evaluate skills pertaining to a single application, or to test students on a broader range of computer concepts.

The software guarantees students a fair and accurate assessment of their computer skills, thus ensuring that any need for basic instruction can be met. Students can test out of basic courses if core competencies are met.

Walters State Community College is among other schools in Tennessee adopting SAM Challenge to measure student skill levels and ensure that they are adequately equipped to succeed in their studies. In recent years, the Tennessee state education department removed introductory computers courses as requirements to the core curriculum, because students appeared to be entering college with adequate computer skills. However, university department heads began to question whether students were truly equipped to meet computer competencies and recognized the need to evaluate overall computer literacy.

“Students at Walters State are no longer required to take core computer courses for degree programs,” said Alan Fisher, Associate Professor, Computer and Information Science at Walters State. “Without these course requirements in place, we need a way to validate computer competency, which is precisely what SAM Challenge provides. We’re finding that students don’t always know as much as they think they know, and SAM Challenge offers a way for us to set a benchmark and validate skill levels.”

As students take exams in the SAM environment, their every keystroke is captured by the software to ensure accurate scoring and provide administrators with the ability to answer student questions. Data gathered on each test taker can be viewed and analyzed on a student-by-student basis or aggregated across large groups. This feature allows test administrators to create reports containing data on any given question or on the test as a whole -- information useful for pinpointing general strengths or weaknesses, as well as for ongoing efforts to create and maintain effective assessment questions.

“We anticipate that our testing needs will change over time and we will be evaluating test questions as we go through the early stages of this process,” said Fisher. “The flexibility of SAM Challenge will allow us to easily make improvements to the test based on the feedback and data available in the scoring reports.”

SAM Challenge is available for purchase on a test-by-test basis by the student or as an institutional purchase by the school or testing center. For more information on SAM Challenge, visit www.course.com.

Contact
Adam Gaber
Director of Public Relations
Cengage Learning
(203) 539-8663 		Gabrielle Zucker
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(212) 367-6861

About The Thomson Corporation and Thomson Course Technology

The Thomson Corporation (www.thomson.com), with 2003 revenues from continuing operations of $7.44 billion, is a global leader in providing integrated information solutions to business and professional customers. Thomson provides value-added information, software tools and applications to more than 20 million users in the fields of law, tax, accounting, financial services, higher education, reference information, corporate training and assessment, scientific research and healthcare. With operational headquarters in Stamford, Conn., Thomson has approximately 38,000 employees and provides services in approximately 130 countries. The Corporation's common shares are listed on the New York and Toronto stock exchanges (NYSE: TOC; TSX: TOC). As part of the Thomson Corporation, Thomson Course Technology (www.course.com) is the worldwide leader in computing education, offering more than 1,600 print and innovative technology-based products for business and technology training.